Chinese restaurants will fine clients for leaving unnecessary food waste

Customers of restaurants are planned to be required to pay extra for the disposal of unused food.

The People’s Republic of China government is preparing to pass a bill that will impose penalties on visitors to restaurants for not eating enough food. According to Xinhua news agency, customers of restaurants are now being forced to pay extra for disposal. 

The food waste bill is currently undergoing its second reading by the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress. If passed in its current format, it will impose food waste disposal fees on the market for catering customers.

The problem of food waste disposal in China is acute and enormous amounts of money are spent on it. According to expert estimates, about 18 billion kilograms of food are wasted annually in the country’s catering segment alone. 

A national campaign called “Clean Plate” was launched in China back in the summer of 2020. The authors of the initiative plan to significantly reduce the amount of new food in restaurants. Tourists, schoolchildren, and participants at corporate banquets are among the most wasteful customers of public catering.